After just two and a half months of a flood, another natural disaster made landfall on the southern coast of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. This time, thousands of people have suffered losses due to the cyclone Hamoon. At least 40,000 houses collapsed in seven coastal upazilas in several hours of strong wind, leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.
Six deaths have been reported so far, while the people’s misery multiplied due to power outages in most of the areas. It is imperative to send adequate relief items to the affected regions at the earliest possible time.
From 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, the strong wind wreaked havoc in Cox’s Bazar municipality, Sadar, Maheshkhali, Kutubdia, Chakatia, and Pekua upazilas, in addition to Banshkhali and Satkania upazilas of Chattogram.
More than 100,000 trees were uprooted in Cox's Bazar municipality alone, snapping road communication and traffic movement in many areas. Many people did not find even a sign of their homes after returning from the shelters as the villages lay in ruins.
Three fatalities were reported from Cox's Bazar Sadar, Chakaria, and Maheshkhali upazilas, while two from Banshkhali of Chattogram and one from Satkania. Being an island, Kutubdia was at high risk, but it eventually managed to avoid casualties. There were no large-scale deaths as thousands of people from the coastal villages were evacuated to the shelters beforehand. The authorities concerned deserve to be appreciated for the performance.
Many areas are now left without electricity as the power poles were uprooted and supply lines were snapped in the strong wind. Lives and businesses have come to a standstill due to disruption in telecommunication and internet connections.
Against such a backdrop, none of the 20 local dailies were published from the district town on Wednesday. It requires restoration of road communication and traffic movement to bring people back to normal life.
The residents of the coastal region are mostly laborers and fishermen. They are now helpless, after losing homes. Those who run small businesses or shops are also facing challenges as thousands of shops suffered damages in the cyclone. Disruption in power supply has exacerbated their misery. Some areas are believed to take up to one and a half weeks to get the power supply restored.
However, power, energy and mineral resources minister Nasrul Hamid said the power supply would be brought to normalcy in a quick manner. We hope that the power supply will be restored in the affected areas, as per the instructions of the minister.
Now, it is a crying need to supply relief items to the affected people on an emergency basis. Local administrations are supplying dry food, rice, cash, and tins, but it is inadequate. Moreover, many remote villages have yet to receive any relief materials. Hence, it is imperative to increase the assistance. Local public representatives and agencies have to make a list of affected families and provide them with house-building materials, financial assistance, and relief aid.